JB's Excellent (Near Death) Adventure

[Dudewado]

BTW, I may owe you my life, Bust. While on the gurney in the ER, when I started to see the bright white light and rise to it, the first figures I could make out were you and a sheep all dressed up in tux and evening dress (I won't say who was in what). I bolted outta there as quick as I could! :lol:

Uuhhh.... I think you may have been heading for the wrong elevator there, JB. :devil:

Push the "up" button.

 

[ionbeam]

...One of my nurses was a very hot redhead (I came to love freckles) and I worried about the embarrassment of a boner in her presence.

Well, the "other" cruel medical folks who came around pointing and laughing took care of that concern. :blink:

The Forum let you vote with a red - button, a green + button, but where is the TMI button?

 

[madjackdog]

I would like to take this time to state, without equivocation, that no, I have NOT seen your penis. I also note that not one other Forumite has made this declaration.

 

[James Burleigh]

I would like to take this time to state, without equivocation, that no, I have NOT seen your penis. I also note that not one other Forumite has made this declaration.

That's just 'cause you weren't in the hospital....

 

[jwhite518]

I would like to take this time to state, without equivocation, that no, I have NOT seen your penis. I also note that not one other Forumite has made this declaration.

I haven't and I won't.

We live in San Francisco.

 

[James Burleigh]

I would like to take this time to state, without equivocation, that no, I have NOT seen your penis. I also note that not one other Forumite has made this declaration.

I haven't and I won't.

We live in San Francisco.

Aw shucks, Jerry, aren't you forgetting that time in the hot tub when you asked me to wash your back with the luffa? ( BTW, that wasn't a luffa.... )

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

Ya know Hans, I was just thinking and realized the closest I've ever come to a heart attack was sitting next to you at WFO. Whew, I dodged a bullet --

Hope you are healing up well bud.

 

[Toecutter]

Damn, Jessie! Just yesterday I thought to myself. "I better check in on the FJR Forum and see if anybody has died recently", as I've been off channel for a few months. And this! Thanks for the excellent opportunity to jump up on my soapbox yet again!

I just (4 days ago) celebrated the first anniversary of my low-glycemic lifestyle. As of today's double-duece on the bicycle, I'm at 164 and 9.5% body fat, where I've kept to within five pounds of since I first hit that number back last February. 30 pounds lighter than where I've been most of my adult life. And diet is not only about not being fat...

Done a bunch of reading and research, and just ordered up a new book. Turns out there is very strong evidence that the Lipid Hypothesis (low fat, low cholesterol diet is good) belongs in the garbage. The culprit (nutritionally) is processed carbohydrates.

https://www.fathead-movie.com/

I've been eating plenty of saturated fat and high-cholesterol foods, but I don't want fries (or chips or bread or rice or noodles) with that. My latest blood tests show an LDL of 120, HDL 76, Tryglycerides at 64 and a blood pressure of 120/70. I think any cardiologist would be fine with those numbers, especially for a 50 year-old. The life insurance company sure was.

https://www.marksdailyapple.com/

We've only been eating this high-glycemic food for the last 10,000 years. Coincidentally, that's also about how long many of our top-ten list of killers has been around. (gout, cancer, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, etc.. even tooth decay!). Before that, there was 4 million years of mostly disease-free existence on this rock.

https://tinyurl.com/28qrro9

The most recent info that I stumbled upon supports four different types of lifestyles, based on your blood type. It's all about chemistry. Still waiting on the book, but will be eagerly cracking into it as soon as it arrives. Based on what I've read so far on the web, it nailed my physiology and psychology dead-on. Can't wait to find out more!

https://tinyurl.com/2vp8nao

Anyway, you seem to be of the mindset that you're not quite ready to join the ranks of the dearly-departed. I could have written this in a PM, but maybe somebody else who can benefit from a healthy change (might be a few around here) might use the info to their advantage. Hope you stay well and keep hanging around!

 

[Patriot]

a lot to think about, Toe

sounds like Atkins had it right

only thought outside the box was I thought the Asian diet of lotsa rice was good for them and they live long, healthy lives

 

[TomInPA]

We've only been eating this high-glycemic food for the last 10,000 years. Coincidentally, that's also about how long many of our top-ten list of killers has been around. (gout, cancer, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, etc.. even tooth decay!). Before that, there was 4 million years of mostly disease-free existence on this rock.

https://tinyurl.com/28qrro9

This is the most entertaining recollection of a coronary I've ever heard. I'm sure to listen next time that heart burn spreads into my spine and makes me say ouch.

Its my nature to take issue with illogical conclusions however, so I just thought it might help your argument to consider 10,000 years ago, the average life span was something around 25-30 years,and was only 30-45 at the beginning of the 20th century. Never felt better than when I was eating Atkins diet, but its living longer that is the cause of all these diseases you mention. I forget what else I was going to say...damn CRS.

 

[madmike2]

Its my nature to take issue with illogical conclusions however, so I just thought it might help your argument to consider 10,000 years ago, the average life span was something around 25-30 years,and was only 30-45 at the beginning of the 20th century. Never felt better than when I was eating Atkins diet, but its living longer that is the cause of all these diseases you mention. I forget what else I was going to say...damn CRS.

Yebbutt.....the predator carnivores were satiated! And the population was under control. And the global warming that melted the Glaciers was welcome. And....

 

[Toecutter]

only thought outside the box was I thought the Asian diet of lotsa rice was good for them and they live long, healthy lives

from the fathead blog:

If carbs and so evil than why are so many chinese and japanese and indians, who eat white rice on a daily basis, thinner and healthier than americansky?
Their thinness is partly hereditary; Asians have higher levels of osteoporosis because their bones are thinner. Thin-boned people also tend to be more resistant to becoming obese. As for the carbs, they actually consume fewer of them than a typical American. They eat rice, yes. We consume rice, pasta, french fries, donuts, sodas, frappucinos, bagels, breakfast cereals, deli sandwiches, Snickers bars, Little Debbie Snack Cakes and ice cream.

...consider 10,000 years ago, the average life span was something around 25-30 years...

What was the main cause of death back then?

 

[TomInPA]

only thought outside the box was I thought the Asian diet of lotsa rice was good for them and they live long, healthy lives

from the fathead blog:

If carbs and so evil than why are so many chinese and japanese and indians, who eat white rice on a daily basis, thinner and healthier than americansky?
Their thinness is partly hereditary; Asians have higher levels of osteoporosis because their bones are thinner. Thin-boned people also tend to be more resistant to becoming obese. As for the carbs, they actually consume fewer of them than a typical American. They eat rice, yes. We consume rice, pasta, french fries, donuts, sodas, frappucinos, bagels, breakfast cereals, deli sandwiches, Snickers bars, Little Debbie Snack Cakes and ice cream.

...consider 10,000 years ago, the average life span was something around 25-30 years...

What was the main cause of death back then?

Youth?

Childbirth, making war, competing for hot chicks, plague and minor injuries combined with lack of antibiotics might be contributing factors.

 

[James Burleigh]

Thanks for your comments, Toe. Good stuff, and good to hear you're still alive and well.

I am very skeptical of what the cardiologists are telling me. I feel like it's all about.... "Let's see, trace finger down the column till we get to 'heart attack.' Okay, trace finger across the columns to find standard default one-size-fits-all recommendations: 'Low BP meds, low cholesterol meds, blood-thinning meds,'" etc.

Rather than change my lifestyle (read, motorcycling) to fit my meds, how about changing my meds to fit my lifestyle! <_<

 

[dj bill]

going in for the up the leg heart o scope on jan 11th.viral infection in the ticker.to big a heart.chf they say.guess i can show my penis also.lol

 

[James Burleigh]

going in for the up the leg heart o scope on jan 11th.viral infection in the ticker.to big a heart.chf they say.guess i can show my penis also.lol

Good luck with that. BTW, mighta been all that morphine, but apparently arteries don't have nerves, so you don't actually feel much. But that groin area can get all black and blue and sensitive and nasty looking. It's not just the heart that needs recovery time after the procedure, it's the, you know, groin area.

 

[worldbound4now]

Thanks for your comments, Toe. Good stuff, and good to hear you're still alive and well.

I am very skeptical of what the cardiologists are telling me. I feel like it's all about.... "Let's see, trace finger down the column till we get to 'heart attack.' Okay, trace finger across the columns to find standard default one-size-fits-all recommendations: 'Low BP meds, low cholesterol meds, blood-thinning meds,'" etc.

Rather than change my lifestyle (read, motorcycling) to fit my meds, how about changing my meds to fit my lifestyle! <_<

Most cardiac events can safely be attributed to the result of a sum of choices related to our lifestyle accumulated over decades of time as well as our genetic tendencies. Therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) and medication regimens are directed at prevention of another major cardiac event. Medicine can't undue all of the presenting ingredients that are added together for the recipe which causes heart attacks. The column/row table type cookie-cutter application of therapeutics is based on many years of research, including but not limited to the Framingham study. The best tool for the greatest good at this time seems to be the generalization of current research to large populations. The hard part for many medical providers is remembering the general rules of current guidelines while customizing them to meet the individual and not the disease. It is probable that many medical providers forget the research sample characteristics and over-generalize the results, potentially making well-intended but ill advice.

All drugs should be considered as dangerous. Despite known benefits, all prescription drugs are considered dangerous. I believe it was Socrates who, and I'm paraphrasing, stated that the only difference between a poison and a potion is the dose (watch out for hemlock). Each medical provider must weigh the benefits versus the risks associated with each recommendation, whether it is a medication or a non-pharmacological intervention. The benefits of lifestyle changes often outweigh the risk/benefit profile of some of the medications given. The hard part for clinicians is executing the art of medicine and having the judgment or ability to assess the patient's willingness to change. Assessing and utilizing the stage of change as a tool to help guide recommendations is quite powerful. Many clinicians forget that some people are motivated to change and erroneously assume all patients are lazy and would much rather have a pill to "fix" the problem instead of looking at themselves as the modifiable cause.

Hopefully you have allowed your cardiologist the privilege of getting to know you personally so he/she can make recommendations most appropriate to you. Also, remember that your cardiologist is akin to a back seat driver. He can tell you to turn right here, turn left there, stop now or go faster, but in the end we, as patients, are the ones responsible for controlling the car.

(...stepping down from soap box and hopefully organizing thoughts in a meaningful manner...)

worldbound4now

 

[Fred W]

WB4N,

Very good post.

JB,

Please read it (at least) twice and give it some deep thought. Cynicism of medics is not without good reason. IMO.